domingo, 21 de dezembro de 2014

Winter
solstice is an astronomical phenomenon which marks the shortest day and
the longest night of the year. Winter solstice occurs for the Northern
Hemisphere in December and for the Southern Hemisphere in June.

This year’s Winter Solstice falls on the day of the New Moon. These
events happen just a couple of hours from each other on Sunday
afternoon.

December may be marked by Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, but for pagans it’s the time to celebrate Yule.
The holiday marks the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere
(Sunday, Dec. 21, this year) and celebrates the rebirth of the sun and
beginning of winter. It is one of the oldest winter celebrations known.

The winter solstice is the longest night and shortest day of the
year. The Earth’s axis tilts the furthest away from the sun at
23-and-a-half degrees, giving all locations north of the equator less
than 12 hours of daylight. This moment has been marked by mankind for
centuries.

In ancient Rome, the weeklong feast of Saturnalia honored the sun god Saturn. Celts believed the sun stood still for 12 days,
making it necessary to light a log fire to conquer the darkness. During
the Iron Age, the Celts and other ancient Europeans welcomed the winter
solstice by feasting, merrymaking and sacrificing animals. Today modern
pagans celebrate the holiday by lighting candles, throwing bonfires,
hosting feasts and decorating their homes.

Celebrating the rebirth of the sun can be seen in other cultures
throughout history. While these typically took place during the coldest,
darkest days of the year, winter solstice traditions were celebrations
that gave people hope sunny days lay ahead.Egyptians celebrated the return of Ra, god of the sun, on a daily
basis. Ancient Greeks held a similar festival called Lenaea. The Roman
Empire held Saturnalia celebrations. Scandinavia's Norsemen called the holiday “Yule.”
Families would light Yule logs where they would eat until the log
burned out – which could take up to 12 days. Each spark was believed to
represent a new pig or calf that would be born in the new year.

Germanic peoples would celebrate the winter festival by honoring the
pagan god Odin. Many believed he would fly through the night sky (on a
magical flying horse) and determine who would be blessed or cursed in
the coming year. Many decided to stay indoors, fearing Odin’s wrath.

Originally the Christian calendar focused on Easter. It was only in the fourth century that
the church decided Jesus Christ’s birthday should be celebrated. Since
the Bible did not point to an exact date when Christ was born, Pope
Julius I chose Dec. 25. It’s commonly believed that the church chose the
date in an effort to replace the Roman Saturnalia with the Christian
holiday.

"As the Christmas celebration moved west," Harry Yeide, a professor of religion at George Washington University told National Geographic.
"The date that had traditionally been used to celebrate the winter
solstice became sort of available for conversion to the observance of
Christmas. In the Western church, the December date became the date for
Christmas."

Besides the date, Christian leaders found ways to relate the pagan holiday to the Christian one.

"This gave rise to an interesting play on words," Yeide said. "In
several languages, not just in English, people have traditionally
compared the rebirth of the sun with the birth of the son of God."

Christmas traditions including dinner feasts, gift-giving, and
decorative wreaths can be traced back to winter solstice rituals. For
instance, for the Celtic druids, mistletoe was a sacred plant
called “All Heal.” Priests would cut the plant from the tree, hold a
feast and sacrifice animals underneath it. Mistletoe was believed to
cure illnesses, serve as an anecdote for poisons, ensure fertility and
protect against witchcraft. Some people would hang it from their
doorways or rooms to offer goodwill to visitors.

Ancient Romans would decorate their homes with holly
during winter solstice. Holly wreaths were given as gifts and used as
decoration in public areas and in homes to honor the sun god Saturn.
Ancient Celts would have similar traditions. Many would plant holly in
their homes as a form of protection since the plants was believed to hold magical powers for its ability to survive the winter months.

For Wiccans and Druids, Yule is one of the eight solar holiday
celebrated each year. Wiccans see Yule as a time to spend with friends
and family, exchange gifts and honor the sun. Homes are decorated with
red, green and white decorations – colors that hark back to Druidic
traditions.Some Wiccans welcome the new solar year with light. Rituals can
include meditating in darkness with lit candles, singing pagan carols
and lighting Yule logs (either in indoor fireplaces or outdoor
bonfires).

Wiccan priestess Selena Fox suggests decorating an evergreen wreath
with holiday herbs and mounting it on the front door to celebrate the
continuity of life. Evergreen trees can be decorated as well with
holiday decorations and pagan symbols. “Call it a Solstice tree,” Fox
said in a blog post about winter solstice traditions.

Druids typically celebrate the holiday at Stonehenge in England. Last
year 3,500 visitors watched the sun rise and watched how it cast a line
that directly connects the altar stone, the slaughter stone and heel
stone. Similar celebrations take place at other ancient sites such as
Newgrange in Ireland and the Cerro del Gentil pyramid in Peru.